MS is considered to be an autoimmune disease, in which your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells in your body.

Know the symptoms

Multiple sclerosis signs and symptoms appear in many ways. They can range from minimal to disabling, depending on how much nerve damage there is and which nerves are affected.

The majority of MS patients are mildly affected, but in the worst cases, MS can make a person unable to write, speak, or walk.

MS symptoms usually appear in people between ages 20 and 40 and can include the following:

Blurred or double vision

Red-green color distortion or blindness in one eye

Severe tiredness

Muscle weakness in hands or feet

Problems with coordination or balance

Difficulty walking or standing

Partial or complete paralysis

Numbness or prickling “pins and needles” sensations

Speech problems

Tremors or dizziness

Hearing loss

Depression

Memory loss or difficulty concentrating

Check with a health care provider if you experience any or some of these symptoms and suspect it may be MS.

Treatment

Some people with MS do well without therapy, and in some cases, medications can have serious side effects. Some have major risks, which requires close monitoring. Unfortunately, MS can worsen slowly enough that patients are not always aware of it, and this can happen in the absence of new lesions in the brain or spinal cord.